Another one of the three men accused of beating a raccoon to death with a baseball bat and machete on University Hill in November has accepted a plea deal.

Lucas Holton, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals Friday. He was sentenced to one year of probation and community service as part of his plea bargain.

Witnesses said Holton, along with Nicholas Foti, 20, and August Quinn Noble, 19, beat a raccoon to death in the 1000 block of 11th Street on Nov. 7, 2011.

Foti told police he hit the animal with a baseball bat to scare it, then decided to "put it out of its misery" when he saw that it was seriously injured, according to a police report. However, witnesses said the men were yelling "Get it!" in excited tones.

All three were initially charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a felony.

Noble pleaded guilty in February to one count of false reporting and received a 12-month deferred sentence. A second count of aggravated animal cruelty was dismissed.

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story